Inking roller



Oct. il, 932. M, w. BRUESHABER INKING ROLLER Filed Nov. 8. 1929 Patented Oct. 11, 1932V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

MARTIN W. BRUESHABER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AVSSIGNOR TO GOSS PRINTING PRESS COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS INKING ROLLER Application mea November s, 1929. serial no. 405,704.

The present invention relates to rollers for printing presses and more particularly Vto an improved inking roller for usevin connection with high speed rotary newspaper presses.4

Objects and advantages of the invention A,will be set forth in part hereinafter andin vof the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.

The inventionconsists in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and'A described. Y

' The accompanyingdrawing, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illus.- trates oneembodiment of the invention, and together with the description, serves to eX- plain the principles of the invention.

Of the drawing:

Figure l is an elevation of the present preferred embodiment of an` inlring roller in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section taken lon the line 2--2 of Figure 1.'

Figure 3 is a fragmentary detailed view showing one part of the inling roller. Y

In newspaper printing. the presses generally print upon a web of paper four pages wide, and the inking and other rollers for such press must necessarilv be relatively long and of small diameter. Under such'conditions the rollers are liable to bend throughout their length, and particularly neartheir central portion, resulting in a non-uniform contact with the plates on the plate cylinders of the printing press, resulting in an uneven inking `of the plates on the plate cylinders. Also, by reason of their relatively great length, these rollers arediflicult and quite eX- pensive to manufacture. and unlessV great care is taken in their manufacture, theyiwill not run true and will otherwiseinterfere with the efficient operation of the press. l

The present invention has for its obj ect the provision`v of a roller particularly adapted for use in connection with printing presses of the type described, which can be manufactured more economically, is not so easilv bent il",

.and when used as an inking roller will uniformly ink the plates throughout the entire width of the plate cylinders.

The present invention also provides a printing roller which is exceptionally strong,

can be easily assembled and disassembled, and is generallyl more satisfactory than' the rollers now commonly employed.

In'the present preferred embodiment, and

in accordance with the present invention, the-fH roller comprises a shaft surrounded by a pair of relatively thin-walled tubular members of substantially the same diametenwhich are rotatably mounted on the shaft and held against axial movement on the shaft and at 7 the same time are held against` angular displacementA relative to each other. For rotatably mounting the tubular members on the shaft, the tubular members are preferably provided, near their inner and adjacent ends with self-aliningball-bearings, and near their outer ends with lanti-thrust ball-bearingsv which permit' the tubular members to rotate on the shaft withsubstantially no drag on the plates. As embodied, and for .prevent ing'substantial bendingpof the shaft, the

shaft preferably gradually increases in' size towards its center. Centrally of the shaft there is provided an integral ring which holds the tubular members against axial movement in one direction along the shaft, while collars fixed to the shaft hold the tubular members against axial movement in the other direction. Other means are preferably provided for retaining lubricant within the tubular members to lubricate the bearings.

Other features of the linvention will be initially pointed out inconnection with the following detailed descriptions of the present'preferred embodiment` of the invention, and it will be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are both exemplary and explanatory, but not restrictive of the invention. n

Referring now in detail to the present preferred embodiment of the invention, asy illustratedby the accompanying drawing, the

roller, which may be covered with auniform lll).

layer of rubber or other compositionto receive the ink and transfer it to the plates to be inked. The roller shaft comprises a long, jsolid round bar 10, preferably of steel, and l provided with reduced end portions 11 by which it is mounted in the press, the surface of the composition layer contacting with the plates to be inked. For supporting and retaining the uniform layer of composition 12, there are provided a plurality, and preferably two, relatively long thin-walled tubular members 14, of equal diameter which surround the roller shaft 10,v and are rotatably mounted thereon by suitable antifriction bearings. These tubular members are of substantially the same length, and the inner wall of these members is` accurately machined as at 15 and 16 for a short distance from each end to Vrender the inner and outer walls of the Vtubular members concentric. The portion 17 of the inner wall of the tubular members, intermediate the machined ends, need not be finished, and is generally leftin substantially itsy rough state.

The bearings for rotatably supporting the tubular members on the roller shaft preferably comprise a `self-alining ball-bearing 18 pressed within the machined portion near one end of each tubular member 14, and a deep groove, anti-thrust ball-bearing 19 pressed within the other machined portion 16 of each tubular member. The anti-thrust bearing 19 is preferably securely 'held in place by means of ring 2O fitted between it and the end 21 of the tubular member. The self-alining ball-bearings 18 permit the tubular members A14 to rotate freely even when the inner races 28 are not exactly parallel to the outer races, thereby avoiding the necessity for accurate machining'of the seats for Athe outer races. When using f self-alining ball-bearings, the Seats at the inner and outer ends of the tubular members need not be eXactly parallel.

VFor preventing bending of the roller shaft which would be accompanied by a similar bending of the surface of the roller, the shaft is preferably of graduallyV greater. diameter towards its central portion, and the ball bearings 18 for the inner ends of the tubular members are slipped on and supported bythe shaft 10 at the portion 22 of large diameter.

This gradually increasingr diameter of shaft 1() tends to prevent uneven contact of the roller with, the plates, and together with the ball bearings 18, supporting the inner ends of the tubular members, prevents any bending of the tubular memberswhich might occur were the tubular members supported only at points near their outer ends.

Between the ball bearings for the inner ends of the tubular members, there is preferably provided Va shoulder 24, which may c be integral with the shaft 10, forming a stop 'to space ball bearings 18 lfrom each other,

and preventing either tubular member from being moved too far on the shaft during assembly.

The bearings for the outer ends of the tubular members, are closely fitted on and supported by a reduced portion 25, of the shaft of reduced diameter, and the inner race 27 is held against inward movement by means of the shoulder 26.

For preventing axial movement of the ytubular members on the roller shaft, the inner race 28 of the self-alining bearing, held against movement in one direction by shoulder 24, is held against 'movement in the other direction by shoulder 29. Theinner race of the anti-thrust bearing is held against inward movement by shoulder v26, while the outer race 30 is held against axial movement relative to the tubular members by ring-20 and shoulder 31. tubular members there is provided'a collar 33, of substantially the samediameter as the tubular members and securely fastened to the roller shaft by set screw 34, preventing outward axial movement of the tubular mem-LV bers on the shaft. When properly dimensioned, andas shown in the drawing, the Vtubular members are held against any substantial axial movement along the shaft. Means are also provided for preventing rel- At the outer ends of theV ative angular displacement of the several tubular members, and in the present embodiment, the inner end` of each tubularmember 14 is formed with `a projection 36 and a recess 87, diametrically opposed to each other, the projectionv on each tubular member be* ing adapted to enterand lit :Within the recess 'of the other, and thus hold the members against relative displacement.

The assembly of lthe roller may be easilyf accomplished by slipping each tubular'member, with the bearings already pressed into their proper seats in the inner wall of the` tubular members and ends 21 turned in to retain bearings 19, over the corresponding end of the shaft, with the ball bearing having the aperture of largest diameter being in the Y lead.'` After the tubular members and bearings have been pushed against each other and the shoulder, the end collars 33 can be secured in place, and the roller may then be covered with a suitable layer 12 of composition if its use as an ink roller is intended. rJ'Che invention Y in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific mechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefrom'within the scope of the accompanying claims Without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages. c

lhat I claim is Y 1. An ink roller for printing presses invcluding in combination a shaft, a plurality of alined hollow members rotatably mounted on the shaft, bearings near the ends of each tubular member, a shoulder centrally of the shaft for limiting the movement of the hollow members towards the center of the shaft, and means limiting the outward movement of the hollow members.

2. An ink roller for printing presses including in combination a shaft, a pair of alined tubular members. rotatably mounted on the shaft, aself-alining bearing for the inner ends of the tubular members and a bearing for the outer ends of the tubular' members.

3. An ink roller for printing presses including in combination a shaft, a pair of alined tubular members rotatably mounted on the shaft, a self-alining bearing for the inner ends of the tubular members, and a bearing for the outer ends of the tubular members and means for limiting endwjise movement of the tubular members on the shaft.

4. A roller for printing presses including in combination a shaft, a plurality of tubular members surrounding the shaft, antifriction bearings at the inner ends of the tubular members and anti-thrust bearings at the outer ends of the tubular members.

5. A roller for printing presses including in combination a sha-ft, ai plurality of tubular members surrounding the shaft, antifriction bearings at the inner ends of the tubular members and anti-thrust bearings at the outer ends of the tubular members and means for preventing angular displacement of the several tubular members relative to each other.

6. A roller for printing presses including in combination a shaft, a pair of tubular members surrounding the shaft, anti-friction bearings near the inner ends of the tubular members, anti-thrust bearings near the outer V ends of the tubular members, means for limpair of tubular members surrounding `the shaft, bearings at either end of the tubular members adapted to permit the tubular members to be slipped on the shaft and for rotatably supporting the tubular members on the shaft, and means limiting the endwise movement of the tubular members on the shaft.

l0. A roller for printing presses including in combination a shaft, a plurality of axiallyalined, hollow, substantially cylindrical members surrounding the shaft, anti-friction bearings at the ends of the cylindrical members for rotatably supporting the cylindrical members on the shaft.

11. A roller for printing presses including in combination a centrally enlarged shaft, a pair of aXially-alined, hollow, substantially cylindrical members surrounding the shaft and bearings at the ends of the cylindrical members to permit the cylindrical members to be slipped on the shaft from their respective ends of the shaft and for rotatably supporting the tubular members on the shaft.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my vname to this specification.

MARTIN W. BRUESHABER.

iting endwise movement of the tubular members on the shaft and means for preventing angular displacement of the tubular members v relative to each other.

7. A roller for printing presses including in combination a shaft, a pair of tubular members surrounding the shaft, self-alining ball bearings near the inner ends of the tubular members, anti-thrust ball-bearings at the outer ends of the tubular members and means for limiting endwise movement of the tubular members on the shaft.

8. A roller for printing presses including in combination, a shaft, a pair of tubular members surrounding the shaft, self-alining ball bearings near the inner ends of thetubular members, anti-thrust ball-bearings at the outer ends of the tubular members and means for limiting endwise movement of the tubular members on the shaft and means preventing angular displacement of the tubular members relative to each other.

9. A roller for printing presses including in combination a centrally enlarged shaft, a 

